Above: (Right to Left) Prateek Hajela, NRC Coordinator in Assam, Registrar General of India, Sailesh and police officials of Assam meeting  with leaders of the political parties of Assam, in Guwahati. Photo: UNI

The Supreme Court bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Fali Nariman on Thursday (November 30) told the Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal that it can’t extend deadline for publication of draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) list.

Since three years time is extended but the list not published yet, said bench.

The draft NRC is required to be published on or before December 31.

The AG contested the decision of the bench and said: “Court is exceeding in executive power as court has no authority to direct or fix date,” and added, “my submission may be recorded”.

The bench recorded the statement of AG and dismissed the plea.

The bench was hearing a plea of the anti-corruption branch of the CBI alleging misappropriation of
at least Rs 177 crore in the NRC update process.

—India Legal Bureau